Ride cymbal bell for Forge set?

[danraney3]

Hi everyone,

A student of mine just got a used Forge set, but he's bummed the ride doesn't have a bell sound. Is there an attachment cymbal he can purchase or no options with Forge?

Thanks!
Dan

[Chaser]

Hi everyone,

A student of mine just got a used Forge set, but he's bummed the ride doesn't have a bell sound. Is there an attachment cymbal he can purchase or no options with Forge?

Thanks!
Dan

Welcome to the Forum !

The Forge Kit is based on the early Command Kit (Rack/Snare) with early Nitro Toms (single zone).
The Kits (as did a number of them) came with the 10" Single Zone cymbals.
The Forge Kit was Marketed as being ALL Single Zone..except for the Snare.

The Kit wasn't out long..single zone Rubber toms and single zone cymbals , when you could get dual zone for a few dollars more..or another entry level kit with single zone Mesh triggers for less..released in 2016..Discontinued by 2018 and removed from Legacy and all info vanished from the Data base.
I attached all the info I had in my Data Base.I had to zip the User Guide as the file was too large

The Forge Module is based on the Medeli DD650.
This design is also the base for the Crimson/II/Command/DM10 MKII Studio.

Early Alesis Kits/Modules used the same module but had hardware limitations usually the Triggers.. the Trigger Harness..or both
In order to upgrade you changed the Trigger Harness and upgraded Triggers to Dual Zone (Drums) Dual/Triple Zone (Cymbals).
Since it wasn't cost effective to carry an inventory of multiple harness configurations the Later (Current) Module designs..The Modules utilize the same Trigger Harness and currently it can now be Trigger or  Firmware Limitation.
Some of the Modules you could "Trick" the Extra zone to activate if you seen a MIDI Note in the MIDI Mapping in the Alesis User Guide....some you couldn't.....Firmware Limitation.You check by connecting a Multi-Zone trigger to the inputs and connect the snare to the tom cables and see if they may support dual zone.

The Forge User Guide does show MIDI Notes for Bell/Bow/Edge (MIDI MAP Attached),Dual Zone Toms..and the same Articulation/Sample count as the other re-Branded DD650 Modules however that doesn't guarantee they are there or can be assigned as the Guides are Cookie Cutter and just have a couple specs and Title/Model changed on the print.

The Command and Forge Modules are/were offered Single Zone Ride w/Choke.
I had one of the Command Modules along with the other DD650 Re-brands and Testing with a Single cable Dual or Triple Zone Ride the extra zones would not activate and therefore no Bell or Edge..only Bow with Choke.

Have you checked to see if a Ride Bell is in the Articulations/Samples and can be assigned to another trigger?

If you or one of the other students have a single cable dual or triple zone cymbal , you can connect and strike the Bell and/or Edge zones and see if they appear in the Modules Trigger menu..you typically have to raise the settings..sensitivity etc etc if it does pop up..chances are it won't.

If you don't have a Multi-Zone Cymbal/trigger..the 10" cymbal w/choke is used for the Ride and can be used for a Dual Zone Cymbal if you strike the Choke area..7 Dots...it is a membrane switch..strike the dots and see if it pops up on the Trigger menu.Since the switch is on the edge, the assigned articulation like a Bell..would only sound if the edge is hit.

Otherwise..it may be a Firmware limitation for the module and you can only assign one articulation at a time to the Ride and the only other option to check would be the expansion Cymbal Input which should be Dual Zone (Piezo/Switch)..if you have a TRS Cable you could connect the 10" w/Choke and see..but as mentioned previously there will not be a Bell Zone..the Bell Sound would be on the Edge

Triple Zone Ride Cymbals (Switch/Piezo/Switch) have all the Zones tied in a Circuit.

EDIT:
Added  Documents, Images and Links

[danraney3]

Thanks very much! I appreciate the detailed response. I have to confess I know absolutely nothing about electric sets - just had an old student I taught on an acoustic set wanting to get rid of his, so he gave it to the student in question. He's a 10-year-old and I don't have access to the set, so I would have to communicate this to his parents. Could you possibly simplify the steps I should take? Thanks!

[Chaser]

Thanks very much! I appreciate the detailed response. I have to confess I know absolutely nothing about electric sets - just had an old student I taught on an acoustic set wanting to get rid of his, so he gave it to the student in question. He's a 10-year-old and I don't have access to the set, so I would have to communicate this to his parents. Could you possibly simplify the steps I should take? Thanks!

Those are the simplified steps...
Electronic drumming is entirely different than acoustic...you need to at least have an understanding of the basics/fundamentals and terminology of Electronic drumming including how triggers work and how to adjust the settings in the module for playing style and dynamics and assign articulations/sounds,otherwise the answer is "No"..The Kit was marketed as having a single zone Ride (Cut Sheet above) and there isn't a way to add a bell other than maybe assigning a bell sound to the bow (refer to User Guide)...but then you won't have a bow sound.
That's the scripted answer Alesis support will tell them.
The other option is to purchase a more advanced Kit.Entry level/Beginner to Mid level/intermediate Kits typically do not come with a Multi-Zone Ride...either way it still requires at the very minimum a basic understanding of Electronic Drumming and the more advanced kit/module..the more knowledge is required to get the full potential out of it.